


Birthday Presents

by krisrussel



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-14
Updated: 2013-02-14
Packaged: 2017-11-29 06:29:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/683882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/krisrussel/pseuds/krisrussel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Every year he surprises her with another birthday present.<br/>Spoilers: Before I Sleep</p>
            </blockquote>





	Birthday Presents

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first Sparky story I ever wrote and still one of my favs!

The first year they were in the city of the Ancients, he gave her an Athosian pot as a birthday gift. That little gesture surprised her in more ways than one. Not only because she thought no one in Atlantis knew when her birthday was, but mostly because she never expected a flyboy like John Sheppard to think of something like a birthday. How he had figured out her birthdate was still a mystery and somehow she hoped she would never find out as she liked the mystery behind it...

The second year she knew their friendship had really grown strong as he gave her an updated picture of her mother hugging her dog, Sedge. It nearly brought tears to her eyes as he told her how much he knew she missed them both and how he had gone to her mother’s house on their last visit to Earth to get this picture. She had jokingly asked how her mother had reacted when she knew she had befriended a military man. He had winked at her as he said she should ask her mother that. In her next letter to her mother she thanked her for the picture and wondered for a while if she should really ask what she thought about him. In the end she put it in a PS. When she received an answer from her mother, she was surprised to read that her mother thought John would make the perfect son-in-law. Unconsciously she blushed.

The third year he gave her a necklace he had bought a week before on an alien planet where they had negotiated a trade agreement. She was baffled by the beauty of the simple piece of jewelry. It was a small red stone held between two hands. But the details on the hands were absolutely amazing and the red gem was of an astounding beauty. After he helped her close the lock, she turned to face him and a smile appeared on his face as he watched her. He told her that the red of the stone somehow made the green in her eyes light up more and in just the way he had imagined it. It was at that moment she realized she cared more about him than mere friendship allowed and by the way he looked at her, she knew he felt the same.

The fourth year it was nearing nightfall before he showed up in her office and invited her for dinner. She expected him to lead her to the mess hall, but instead he brought her to one of the big balconies in one of the secluded parts of the city. To her surprise he had set a table with champagne and food he had prepared himself. Every time she thought she knew him, he found another way to pleasantly surprise her. As they were sipping champagne, they watched the sun set and cast its red glow over the city. They talked about the little things in life, regrets they had about their past lives and hopes for the future. The food was wonderful and they enjoyed each other’s company immensely. After the meal he led her back to her room. As she turned to face him to bid him goodnight, she suddenly found his arms around her. She’s still not sure who initiated it, but that night they shared their first real kiss. A kiss filled with so much love it made her knees almost buckle. A kiss filled with promises for the future. A kiss that made her realize he was the only for her.

The fifth year he was off-world on her birthday. His team and he had disappeared and they had been missing now for nearly a week. Search parties were doing the best they could, but all trace of them was gone. She missed him terribly and only now realized she couldn’t live without him anymore. In the one year they had been romantically involved, he had become like oxygen to her. The thought she would never see him again nearly broke her apart. Two weeks later the gate suddenly activated and Chuck almost shouted that it was his ID. SGA1 ran through the puddle and he yelled to get the shield up. The thuds that followed made her realize they had been chased and probably had only barely escaped. The second he saw her, he ran to her and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her like his life depended on it and she realized she was like oxygen to him too. That night as they lay wrapped around each other, he apologized once again for missing her birthday and she shushed him, saying it wasn’t important. He disagreed, saying it should have been a very special day and he was going to ask her now what he had actually wanted to ask her on her birthday. When he produced the small square box out of nowhere and opened it, a gasp escaped her. The simple silver ring holding one small diamond looked amazing and yet quite old. He asked her if she would marry a flyboy like him and without missing a beat she gave him a yes. Later he explained her that the ring had been in his family for four generations and that it was only meant to give to your true soul mate.

The sixth year she spend most of the day in the bathroom. When he had finally convinced her to go see Keller, the good doctor surprised them both by announcing she was pregnant. The wrapped red shirt that lay waiting under their bed was completely forgotten until she found it two days later while tidying their quarters.

The seventh year he gave her a book filled with pictures of the first six months in the life of their son, Carson Sheppard. Through their son, one of their best friends would never be forgotten.

The eight year they were visiting her mother on Earth. Sedge had passed away a few months before and she mourned the beautiful animal. He surprised her with a puppy that evening and assured her they would be allowed to bring the cute and cuddly animal back to Atlantis. When she asked him how they should call the dog, he told her he had named her Meredith. The next time she saw Rodney, she couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

The ninth year he was looking in awe into the crib of his newborn daughter who was born barely two weeks before. Sarah Sheppard still looked at the world with big eyes and she let out a happy cry as she saw her father. He picked her up and brought her to his wife who was getting ready to feed her.  
That evening he gave her a picture of their small family. Rodney had taken it the day before as they were sitting in the mess hall. Carson had spaghetti all over him and the grin he threw to the camera reminded her of her husband who was grinning too, but more about the fact that Carson had started playing with his sauce and some of it had ended up on her shirt. She had been unable to hold in a grin either as she cradled their daughter in her arms. She thanked him for the picture and made him promise they would try to get a new one in a couple of months… one that was less messy.

He didn’t know yet what he would get her next year, but it would have to be something special… Ten years living in the astonishing city of Atlantis was something that had to be celebrated big time. He didn’t know what the future would bring, but as he looked at his wife who was singing his daughter to sleep and at his son who was playing with their dog, he knew it could barely get any better than this.

THE END


End file.
